Joe Biden defended Native American rights as Trump administration plans to lift uranium mining ban around 'sacred' Grand Canyon

• Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he opposed uranium mining around Arizona's Grand Canyon.
• Biden also condemned President Donald Trump's nuclear energy plan, which was released in April this year and outlined plans to create a $150 million uranium reserve in the coming decade.
• Biden said that — if elected — he would create a clean energy economy that will generate "millions of well-paying union jobs...without jeopardizing the places we hold dear," according to The Arizona Republic.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden condemned plans to mine uranium around Arizona's Grand Canyon and said President Trump's nuclear energy plan would "drive a drill into the heart of one of Arizona's cultural and economic cornerstones."

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, Biden said: "The Grand Canyon is first among the landmarks of our nation — holy to the Tribes who preserve it and call it home, and sacred to all Americans," according to The Arizona Republic.

"This national treasure attracts millions of visitors each year, supporting thousands of jobs for Arizonans and contributing more than $1 billion to the state economy," he added.

Biden added that if mining companies were to start extracting uranium in the Canyon area, they would "drive a drill into the heart of one of Arizona's cultural and economic cornerstones."

He reiterated his statement on Friday afternoon on Twitter, writing: "I can't believe I have to say this, but we can't let Donald Trump open up the Grand Canyon for uranium mining."

Currently, there is a 20-year ban on new mining surrounding the Canyon, which was put in place by the US Department of the Interior in 2012, under former President Barack Obama.

But in recent months, Trump has tried to lift the ban to revitalize the nation's nuclear energy sector. In April this year, the Trump administration published a report that outlined its plans to create a $150 million uranium reserve in the coming decade.

The plan was criticized by environmentalists, at least one Arizona tribe, and several nuclear energy experts, who said the government shouldn't propose using taxpayer funds during a pandemic to bail out an uncompetitive industry, according to The Arizona Republic

Biden also said that — if elected — he would create a clean energy economy that will generate "millions of well-paying union jobs...without jeopardizing the places we hold dear."

Navajo National President Jonathan Nez praised Biden for his statement and said his tribe is "still dealing with the health effects of uranium."

"The Navajo people and other tribes have always considered the Grand Canyon and areas adjacent a sacred place," he said, according to The Arizona Republic.

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